TFC - Avanti
by murderball
Summary: Another story by me, this time based on one of my ^_^ favourite TFC maps : avanti
1. Outcast

Foreword: Unlike my previous story TFC - Well, I'm experimenting with a more realistic setting but the ironic part is the story is more or less fictional unlike Well which was based on a true experience. Have fun reading and reviewing. Also, more or less, this IS the avanti map so let's all have incredible imagination and not complain if I'm wrong somewhere:)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It happened so quickly in the night, and nobody was prepared for such an onslaught. Defences fell one by one and many a good men died in that battle. There were many rumors about undercover agents and traitors but it could not be fully verified. It happened so quickly. Too quickly.   
  
Our quiet hilltop town had been taken over and now it was a matter of time before the survivors got together for a quick counter strike. The enemy knew we were coming, and they would have had defences set up in the most unlikely places, combined with a score of battle hardened mercenaries. I knew a tough battle lay ahead. One I wasn't so sure I'd come out alive from.  
  
Even so, it was my town. OUR town. I looked at the other faces while the leader of the group laid out the plans. All tired men. Some had managed to evacuate their families in the nick of time, some didn't. I watched the fire in their eyes, and the fear. I could imagine my little Maria hidden... cowering in some dark corner, waiting for me to rescue her. Most of all, I pray she is still alive. Unconciously, I fingered the locket I had of her, with her picture in it.  
  
"We've got to get the church back. That's where they are holding the hostages," Marcello said. He was a tough burly man. No doubt he must have been involved with the mafia at some point of his life, for he spoke like one who has been in the darkness a long time. "If we are lucky, you will see your families again. But no matter what the costs. The town must be liberated."  
  
There was a loud furore as the men agreed. Brother Lucient, the only surviving priest sat beside me. Unlike the other priests, he was still in his twenties. I recall the day he arrived in a cradle at the stairs of the church, abandoned no doubt. Then there was Vincento who sold carpets. He was old. Older than this town some say, and I felt sad for him, that he had to fight for his beloved town. His four sons were part of the defense but they fell quickly. Their corpses with stab wounds in the back.   
  
We left the corpses that we had managed to salvage out back; it was not yet time for burials. The enemy may have been swift, but they are not without casualty. Old Vincento's sons had done a good deal of damage to them. It was time. Brother Lucient picked up a bread roller which made Marcello laugh.   
  
"That would only be dangerous in the hands of a woman," the man said. "We go to war, my friends, with these." He lifted a trap door revealing an old wine cellar. Breaking the barrels, Marcello then pulled out much firearms, much to our surprise. Our suspicions were confirmed then about this quiet stranger who had only been part of our town a year back.  
  
"No, no, Brother Lucient," Marcello cried as Lucient lifted the bread roller and was about to knock into another barrel. "Those contain real vintage. For our celebration after we retrieve our town, capice?"  
  
Spirits were lifted. Everyone laughed but one by one we sobered again as we approached the town. The silence was disturbing, save for some clanking noise in the distance. A man coughed uneasily, and there and then, I identified him as the coward of the group. I presume he would be the first to flee when the going got rough. No matter. My Maria awaits me.  
  
The crickets stopped their chirping. An uneasy silence loomed over the men. The silence before the storm. Then as if on signal, Marcello gave us the go. We rushed in with whatever weaponary we could get hold of. Yet, something told me to wait. I could not comprehend the meaning, but I did and it saved my life. The man I thought a coward at first was not so lucky. He had been among the first few and we watched in horror as he was cut apart, bullets going through him from every direction.  
  
Marcello continued to cheer us on, leading the way himself. We rushed through the two entrances only to meet the smiling faces of the enemy forces. What could I say more? All hell broke loose. Rockets flew in every direction. The ground shook and rattled as empty bullet clips hit the ground. Vicento prooved more of an asset than a liability as I had thought. He was in a frenzy wielding a heavy machinegun like there was no tomorrow. I watched as he cut down two of the enemy who were charging towards us with crowbars.  
  
"To the fountain!" someone cried as it was the plan. There was a small cafe on the second floor where we could hold up and reload our guns. It was not as easy however for two enemy machine gunners stood in the way, brandishing their bloody weapons dismembering anyone who tried to get too close. Still there were only four of them, and a horde of us. The sight of our own townsfolk dying did not affect us anymore. The battle frenzy took over. In time, their bullet ridden bodies lay in a smouldering mess on the granite floor.   
  
Here we recuperated, and I was amazed to find myself unscathed. Old Vincento too looked like he could take back the town but perhaps it was the frenzy or the light but I sensed he was tired beyond relief. Marcello had taken a bullet to the feet yet he stood tall, in command. That wound would slow him down, but nothing would mar his courage. For that I respected him.  
  
Our men held the cafe down while we planned the next move. So far, there was no enemy movement. All was silent again, except for the unknown clanking noise in the night. Still, positions had been set up in case a sniper would show up. The men began a quiet discussion of the next move but it was evident, they were no longer willing to fight. Already, half our forces had died, and truly in Marcello's words, this was only the first part of the battle. I left the crowd to the balcony where I looked down at the fountain below. The water rippled in the moonlight and it reminded me of Maria. The first time we locked gazes, siting by the fountain. I took out the locket I had and stared at it. Just then I blinked. I thought I saw bubbles coming out of the water in the fountain, but when I looked again, there were none.   
  
A new plan had been laid out. A small band of men would take the set of stairs near the entrance that led to the bazaar. Their role was to surprise the enemy and warn us in case of anything unexpected. Our main forces would take the pathway from the fountain to the central area, a wide open space where we usually have markets on weekdays. Taking control of that area would totally stop the enemy forces from going in and out of our town, trapping them in the higher regions of the town. Quietly we descended not knowing what to hope for anymore. 


	2. Ambush

The small band of men, including Vincento, led by a skinny fellow by the name of Goviani quietly creeped past the fountain towards the stairs. Perhaps it was the light but I thought Vincento looked different... older maybe. He did after all look so very tired in the cafe just now. We watched as they crept up and finally when they were up, Marcello gave us the go. Slowly marching up the pathway, the loud clanking sound could still be heard. We were already halfway up the path I was about to ask Marcello about it when behind us there was the sound of a splash followed by desperate screams from the men at the back.  
  
"AMBUSH!" Marcello cried out beside me. The empty ledges above us suddenly came alive with snipers and demomen. Behind, though I could not see it, I heard the sound of heavy machine guns rattling. Trapped I thought. To my horror, a grenade landed nearby whilst I tried to provide covering fire for my comrades. Marcello saw it as well but was helpless due to his bandaged leg. I was stunned, and not knowing what else to do screamed out.  
  
To my horror and salvation, a young man in robes carrying what I believed to be a bread roller leaped upon the grenade. Brother Lucient took the brunt of the damage, while me and Marcello only got scathed. The half cracked bread roller lay at my feet, vigil. It was Marcello who lost it. He roared like a rampaging bull and charged headlong into the enemy fire. I tried my best to cover him, and at one point even taking out an enemy sniper with a lucky bullet to the head. Perhaps the men felt the same way as Marcello did or perhaps his fury ignited their spirits and the fought harder than before.  
  
"Keep moving!" I yelled out amidst the din, as Marcello did not seem to care anymore. He only lashed wildly whenever and at whoever he could. I was afraid he might mistake me for the enemy as well. "MOVE!" I called out, because it only seemed logical. Marcello and a few other heavy gunners had cleared somewhat of a path for us. I ran dragging my now empty gun behind me. Grenades flew in every direction and I did my best to avoid it, but the machine gun slowed me down.   
  
Further ahead some people began to scream. I lifted my head for a moment to watch my burning townsfolks run by me. Flame throwers! The sheer thought of it terrified me. To be burnt alive. I watched as more and more fire filled the market area.   
  
"Take this!" Vincento cried. I was surprised at first to see him but nonetheless glad. "Picked them up from the corpses!" He threw a sniper rifle at me. Much to my gladness, I threw aside my gun and took the rifle. I didn't know how to operate these things, but in a tight situation like this, you had no choice. More and more men left their machine guns for the grenade launcher or the sniper rifles. We needed the advantage of range right now. I finally fired the rifle but it did not even slow down the oncoming flame throwers.   
  
"Squeeze the trigger longer before you let go!" I could hear a man telling everyone, because the others had the same problem that I did. The machine gunners up ahead had been reduced to crust. Charred bodies lay astrewn, and the enemy advanced.   
  
"NOW!" I heard Marcello's voice above the crowd. Much to my relief he was still alive.   
  
Everyone let go of the trigger. The enemy fell by the numbers.   
  
"Quick, cover the area before they return!"  
  
We did. One by one we picked off any lone enemy who was hiding and blocked the entrance to the market with heavy gun fire. Most men took this chance to pause and rest their weary bodies. The medicine men came by the group and began treating those with more serious wounds. The other men who could still move began gathering weapons, readying for the next assault. I passed my rifle to them as I looked around for something more tactical. The rocket launcher might do. At the other end of the market, near the bazaar, I watch Vincento teaching a few younger ones some sniping lessons.   
  
All the same, time was running out. The enemy had become desperate, and now that we have taken over the market, it is only a matter of time before their psyche runs out and they decide to eliminate the hostages. I prayed my Maria had not been among the hostages when they do. At the same time, something bothered me. We were ambushed and was it not Goviani who should have warned us before hand? What happened to his band of men?  
  
I was about to head towards the bazaar when I noticed Marcello sitting down, leaning against a wall. Lucient's death must have grieved him alot. The man was bleeding all over with bandaged wounds and still there was determination in his eyes. Or was it determination?  
  
"Marcello..." I began, hoping to comfort him, but then I noticed Vicento walking to his side. Again it must have been the moonlight because something did not look quite right there. I turned my head in the other direction to see another Vincento standing by the bazaar entrance giving sniper lessons.  
  
At once all my senses screamed out but it was too late. The fake Vincento stabbed an ice pick into Marcello's neck. It happened so quickly that nobody had even noticed it until I took action. With unbridled rage, I charged at the imposter with a shotgun and filled his chest with lead. The disguise fell off and then I understood what had happened to Goviani. Marcello must have understood as well.  
  
"Of course!" he said, as I put his head on my lap, "Spies!" His voice now was bloody and there was nothing I could do. There was poison no doubt. "And the clanking noise..." he said with much effort, "I know what it is..." Quietly the men gathered around us. "Beware... beware of the sent-" he gurgled blood as it finally filled his lungs and spoke no more.   
  
"Maybe now, Marcello can drink the fine wine with Lucient," a man said dejectedly. The others mummered in solemn agreement.  
  
I closed his eyes and then looked around me. The men were silent and perhaps without a leader, their spirit would break completely. I did not know why, but perhaps it was my short bond with Marcello that gave me the strength.  
  
"No," I said grimly. "Marcello and Lucient will not dine on any wine." A few eyes raised in objection to my words. "They will not dine yet. Not until we have completely liberated this town. Our town. Let us give them a reason to dine!"  
  
The excitement rose, and I felt grand for once. I lay Marcello gently to the ground and stood up. The people expected me to say something. Expected me to lead them. Even old Vincento. He smiled in respect and admiration. Fight on, his eyes told me. 


	3. Sentinel

"CHARGE!" I yelled. "We can win this war!"  
  
The men were with me and rushed into the residential zones of our town. Perhaps it was here that I made my first grievious mistake as a leader and commander. In Marcello's last words, he had warned us about the clanking noise that had been going on through the night. Now that it had stopped, I had not given it much thought until this very moment, as I stood, stunned watching my men fall to the ground one by one to the Sentinels until Vincento came and pushed me aside.  
  
There had to be no other name for them. Marcello had said 'sent' but stopped abruptly. And true to his words, the sentinels were cruel and merciless machines. They lived up to their names watching over the entrance, and cutting down anyone foolish enough to get in its way. If it was not for the quick reactions of Vincento, I would have been dead by now.  
  
Still the men fought on relentlessly. Everytime they managed to scath the gun, the enemy would quickly repair it. Seven of such rocket launching minigun wielding monstrosities blocked us from entering the residential zone. One of my men suggested throwing grenades inside but it was no use. Two brave men dashed inside with heavy kevlar and heavy machine guns but got cut down before their gun even had the chance to fire. The Sentinels were just too heavily armored and nothing, NOTHING escaped their sights...  
  
Unless... they thought I was one of them. An idea struck me. I returned to the market and examined the lifeless body of the spy. Much to my relief, he wore his own garments inside and I quickly put them on. Hoping for the best, I called forth my men to create a diversion while I snuck inside. Vincento argued that it was too dangerous but I had to anyway, to redeem myself for the men I had unwittingly sent to die.   
  
Vincento and the others starting flooding the entrance with grenades creating a diversion. At the precise moment when their first wave of grenades explode and the next wave is just dropping out of the entrance, I slipped past and into enemy territory. Vincento and gang have done their part. Now it was up to me.  
  
Cautiously, I walked up the pathway that led to Garcia's house. Garcia was a good friend of mine and his mother made the most delicious pasta. I shuddered when I passed by what looked like a hand sticking out from underneath some rubble. Slowly I approach the hand but I do not touch it because already I see the ring on the finger. The ring Sophia gave to Garcia last month. I almost vomitted and I needed the fresh air, so I moved to the window to look outside.  
  
The churched loomed directly in front. And in the surroundings, many Sentinel guns as I call them. Whispering a silent prayer to Garcia, I walked out of his house and further down to his carpets stall. A Sentinel was here, waiting for any unsuspecting enemy to pass by. It stared at me, for how long I do not know, but it felt as though the Sentinel looked right through me. Sweat trickled down my puffy cheeks and to my relief, the Sentinel turned away, uninterested in me.  
  
Some enemy passed me by, believing me to be one of their men. To this I smiled, knowing that I had an upper hand here. At once I thought to rescue the hostages first. My beloved Maria, I hope she was alright. Though it was not part of the plan I had explained to Vincento, still, the hostages were more important and if I could rescue them first, it would be all the better. Silently, I walked from the carpets stall up the path to the church.  
  
A feeling of dread filled me because a band of men were coming down, with heavy machineguns in hands. They were the big burly type who could bite you in half if they really tried, and I was not too sure my disguise would hold. I tried to act as normal as I could, and I hoped for the love of God that they could not hear my thumping heart.   
  
Again, the lady luck must have smiled on me because they did not even notice me passing by. They were too busy, something they were saying about not being able to break out of the defenses. Which meant Vincento and the others were holding up very well. I was happy to hear that but my happiness would cut short too soon.   
  
"Hey!"  
  
I turned around. It was one of the big machine gunners. They were already by the carpet stall. I stood frozen.   
  
"You dropped something," the guy said as he approached me, with my locket in his hand. I sighed in relief though inside I was cursing myself for being so careless.   
  
"Whoa... pretty lady you got here," he grinned, a hole in his teeth, as he began flipping open the locked. I smiled shyly and nodded retrieving my locket from his dirty grimey hands  
  
"Wait a minute..." he said as if realizing something, "Bring that back here... she looks familiar..."   
  
By now we had drawn enough attention that the rest of the machine gunners were looking back at us. "She's a famous dancer," I managed to mutter before hurriedly walking off, leaving the guy dumbfounded. Within moments of my hasty departure, there was a loud commotion and alarms were sounded. I knew I had been detected, quickly, I ran around the church avoiding anymore faces, and playing dead once near a set of dead bodies to avoid being detected. I suddenly had an idea, but it was a dangerous gamble. Quietly sneaking up on a grenadier, I lifted the knife; the same knife that killed Marcello, and thurst it deep into the grenadier's neck. Tell them I sent ya, I whispered in the dead man's ear. Quickly I bent down and searched his back pack for grenades hoping that he had not used up all yet.   
  
A bullet hit the spot where my head was a fraction of a second later. I realized I had been seen. Grabbing the grenades, I ran like I'd never run before and threw them in the direction of the Sentinels praying to God or whatever is out there that the grenades would be enough to take out the Sentinels. This was it, I realized, and pulled out my shotgun returning the sniper's fire while I make my getaway to the back of the church.  
  
It was a big mistake as I bumped into the chest of the burly machine gunner I had fooled earlier.   
  
"Well, well, look who's come back into Gonzales' hands. Thought you could esc-" Not even giving him the chance finish his words, I hit him hard in the nuts with the shotgun and ducked around the corner as heavy machine gun fire whizzed by. As I looked back at the residential zone, I was delighted to find that Vincento was there, leading the rest of the men and cutting down the enemy with their own equipment. The more foolish ones tried to rebuild a new sentinel but before they could even make it halfway, one or more of the men would come and smite them down. This time, the burning bodies that ran past were the enemy and I believed if Marcello were around, he would be smiling as well. 


	4. Blow

By now, the men's spirits were soaring. There would be no rests until the enemy had been completely driven back. Only one last hurdle remained and that was to get into the church and get the hostages back out alive. But the question was how? I rushed forwards into Vincento's arms glad to see him again. The enemy probably never expected their Sentinel defence to fail, especially to a lone spy. Now that it has, they've taken a very big blow. However, the enemy still are battle hardened mercenaries and breaking into the church will require much effort and combined strength.   
  
As I survey the situation and explain it to Vincento, I shake my head telling him that rushing in without a plan would be useless. The sudden movement of my head reveals a red dot and I try to move Vincento away but it is too late. A bullet hits him in the chest and he crumples to the ground. I dart away, and look up at once for the bullet was aimed at my head from a higher position. In the church's tower, I see the sniper and he begins to take aim at me again.  
  
At once I dash away from Vincento, hoping that the medics will get to him in time.   
  
"Sniper!" I scream out and make a run for the path up to Garcia's home. More bullets hit the ground around me and finally one hits me in the left foot. Then it stops abruptly. Looking to the left market entrance balcony, I see another young man holding a rifle; one of the two people Vincento had been teaching to use the sniper. Poetic justice I suppose. Vincento prooved to be more than he seemed. He was still breathing when I got back to him, but barely alive.  
  
"Get back this town," he said to me in a hoarse whisper and then he closed his eyes.  
  
I only nodded, not being able to understand why I could not cry anymore. Before I could dwell any deeper, a young scout came to me.  
  
"Sentinels!" he cried, bleeding from many wounds in the right arm. "They've rebuilt lots at the front of the church."  
  
I commend him for his duty and sent a medic his way. The one thing I'll ever regret was that I never got his name. No sooner had I left him, grenades flew past and killed him and the medic on the spot. Worse, more grenades continued to flood the sides of the church. I watched a lone brave soldier try to evade the grenades only to be shot down by heavy gunners and Sentinels.   
  
There didn't seem to be any other way to break through. All was lost perhaps. One by one my forces reduced and the prospects did not look good. The enemy may be trapped but they were still strong. Trapped and desperate, two not very good combinations. I looked around hoping to see some way out of this while my foot continued to bleed. A medic came by to heal the wound and as I looked at the wound, a wierd sense of inspiration hit me. Since both sides of the church can't be accessed, then we'll just go THROUGH the church, right in the middle. It was worth a shot. I stood up so quickly bumping the medic over. At once I relayed my idea to the men and they agreed.   
  
Unfortunately, the enemy decided it was time to break through and they no longer flooded with grenades but ran out by the numbers cutting down the few people who had been caught unaware. In the end, it was an all out firefight as we tried to hold back the enemy while one of the men sets the detonator pack behind the church. I watched him slowly setting the pack from far and he was trembling as it was a delicate job but I wished he could have been faster. Already war weariness was showing, and the people of this quiet hilltop town were not meant for fighting.   
  
Silently I watched another one of my men approach the guy setting the detonator pack. Perhaps it was from the experience but I knew at once that the other man was no hilltop townfolk. It was too far away to shout out to warn him so I grabbed a rifle from the man beside me and took aim and fired. I missed horribly, throwing away the life of one of my kinsman to the spy. He was murdered on the spot but at least the other snipers took out the imposter.  
  
With all the men occupied in some dangerous firefighting, I decided to set the bomb. Limping silently up the stairs to the side of the church, I made my way to where the two dead bodies lay, carefully avoiding any stray grenades and bullets. Strange as it seemed, I could have sworned only the townsman was bleeding. No blood seemed to be flowing from his corpse. I realized too late that it was a trick as he suddenly jumped up at me with the knife aimed for my heart. I heard the sound of the knife sinking into me just as a sniper bullet takes him out for real this time. Opening my eyes, I put my hands into the pocket and find that my locket had saved me from imminent death. There was a dent where the knife struck but other than that, everything was fine. I kissed it lightly and returned it to my pocket.  
  
Trembling, I set the detonator and get out of the way. A loud explosion fills the town rocking the hill again as the back of the church is blown open. I am the first to rush inside with my heavy machine gun severly punching holes into the bodies of the few enemy forces who had come to inspect the explosion. As the dust cleared, only one figure remained standing at the entrance of the church. I heard the doors close and a familiar voice laughing haughtily.  
  
"Gonzales..." I say grimly.  
  
There is a banging at the doors but he ignores them. Instead, he stares back at me like an eagle, eager for its prey. For the moment, we both stare at one another, waiting for some kind of signal. And then it starts. The low whine of Gonzales' machine gun sounds and I dash behind the churchbenches. The wall crumbled where the bullets hit. I tried to return fire but the oncoming hail of bullets prevented me from showing myself.   
  
Crouched hidden at the leftmost side of the pew furthest away from Gonzales, I waited for him to stop but he did not. On the right side of the churchbenche, I watched as holes are punctured into them by the force of Gonzales' machine gun. Slowly, the holes come closer to my side. Realizing that shooting my gun takes a few seconds, I could not easily fire at him quickly enough. Just then I had another idea...  
  
Gonzales continues to spray his bullets trashing the churchbenches as if they were made of glass. However the grin on his face disappears as he finishes shooting from one end of the churchbenches to the other. By then, I had already made my way underneath the churchbenches. Taking this chance, I dash out and fire up my machine gun and let the bullets fly whilst running for cover. Gonzales however crouched just in time to evade the bullets.   
  
"So it's boiled down to this..." Gonzales said out haughtily. "Run... but you can't hide. Just like your pretty girl. Oh, she can run very well."  
  
At the mention of Maria, my eyes widened.  
  
"But she didn't run very far before I got her... hur hur hur."  
  
All at once the rage inside me exploded. I dashed out spraying my bullets in every direction.   
  
"That's right," Gonzales said, "let it all out."  
  
Just as I finished firing, Gonzales appeared in turn to let loose his spray of bullets. I was caught unaware and took some shells in the thigh and arm before managing to return for cover. The pain swelled and I was lost in seas of thought. What happened to Maria?  
  
As if he could read my mind, "She's dead," Gonzales shouted out and then laughed haughtily again.  
  
"No!" I screamed out and darted out and began firing. Gonzales did not hide but let loose his bullets at the same time. After what seemed like an eternity, the bullet sprays and rattling stopped. Gonzales continued to stand haughtily, with his same grin. I slumped on my knees. Only the wall to my left was riddled with bullet holes. Gonzales slumped, blood pouring out from the fresh wounds.  
  
The banging of the church doors stopped, before it was finally struck apart. Men rushed in cheering and clapping. Amidst them a medic came to tend to me, and Vincento appeared, bandaged and supported by the two young men he had taught to snipe. Shocked as I was, I could not say anything. At once he came and put both hands on me, and closed his eyes in a solemn prayer. So understanding, like the father figure I never had.  
  
"You.. you know?" I asked, grief starting to fill me.  
  
"Yes," he nodded. "We've won." At this some of the men clapped in agreement.  
  
"No, about Maria..." I said, barely audible.  
  
"What about Maria?" Vincento said bemused.  
  
"Alessi?" a small sweet voice came from the room above. At first I did not want to believe it but when I turned, I saw Maria, my sweet Maria, climbing down the ladder from the tower with the help of the other townsfolk.  
  
"Maria?" I said, the colors returning to my face.  
  
"I'm okay Alessi. I'm fine," she said as she ran towards me. "I heard everything. The man lied."  
  
"But... he did not hurt you? There is blood..." I asked, still unsure of myself, wiping away the blood from her face.  
  
"No Alessi, the evil man was killed. It's just his blood splatter on us. See?" she said twirling around like a nymph.  
  
"Come," Vincento said to me, as he put a hand on my shoulder. "Come outside, you are a hero now."  
  
"I thought you were dead..." I said to Vincento as I approached him, Maria clasping onto my bandaged arm.  
  
"Like you, I am stubborn as well," he said as we walked outside. "I don't die without a fight."  
  
Outside the town is becoming normal again. People are reunited with the loved ones and the corpses are being cleared out. Sometimes I wonder, if not for people like Marcello and Lucient and even old Vincento. Could we have achieved such a victory? If everyone fought only for themselves, and not for some greater purpose? I had not stuck to the original plan but nobody has to know that. At least I got lucky and managed to destroy the Sentinels. Perhaps it is time we started learning how to build such Sentinels ourselves, so the invaders cannot get in so easily. At the same time, we must be vary of spies, and traitors. They are the worst of their kinds. Though I cannot understand, a part of me actually enjoyed the whole experience. Looking back, I sometimes wonder when the invaders will come again. For now the town is ours. But perhaps one day we'll have to fight to take it back again. For now, I think I will wed my Maria... once they rebuild the church.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Final Word: Okay, in a way, the story does reflect on some of my early experiences with avanti, when players were altogether new to the map and the sentry gun made it almost impossible for players to get past. In my case, I was the only one to use the spy against the sentry guns and it really caused alot of havoc early on. Still it is a great map and one of the most romantic ones as well. I'd spend a night there with a loved one any time:P 


End file.
